BOULDER — Amy Hastings, Renee Metivier-Baillie and Magdalena Lewy-Boulet had been strategizing for days before Monday’s Bolder Boulder 10K. The U.S. women’s team was trying to figure out how to top the talented Kenyan and Ethiopian teams and improve on last year’s third-place finish.

The plan? Work together — as they had done two years ago to help win the bronze medal for the United States at the world cross country championships in Poland — and start the race more conservatively, especially with this year’s slight uphill first mile.

It paid off.

Despite a first place from Kenya’s Lineth Chepkurui and second from Ethiopia’s Mamitu Daska — both of whom gapped the rest of the field early in the race — the U.S. women finished second overall, ahead of Kenya and a mere two points behind Ethiopia.

“There’s only one more place to go,” Metivier-Baillie, a former University of Colorado standout, proudly proclaimed at the finish.

Hastings followed the team’s strategy, moving from 11th early in the race to finish as the top American — fourth overall in 34 minutes, 19.10 seconds.

“I feel like I ran a smart race,” said Hastings, 27, who trains in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. “It makes it so much more exciting when you’re running for a team because we all had a plan going in together.

“For years to come I’ll be back, for sure. I love this race.”

Metivier-Baillie placed sixth.

Under mostly cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 60s, the Kenyan and Ethiopian runners — three for each team — broke into an early lead, establishing a 14-second gap over the next runner by the first mile. From there, Chepkurui and Daska’s hammering pace continued, further stringing out the main pack that included the three U.S. runners.

By the third mile, only Chepkurui and Daska — the women’s elite winner the past two years — remained. Their lead had extended to nearly 30 seconds, and 2 miles later, with about a kilometer remaining, Daska, looking labored with her arms swinging in front of her body, tried to make a move. Chepkurui, who looked more smooth and relaxed through the duration of the race, countered and then pulled away near Folsom Field for a nearly five-second victory.

“We’ve been racing together, and we know each other,” Chepkurui said of her rival. “It was a good race. I relaxed and waited for the finish line. The altitude doesn’t bother me; it’s just like training. I’m so happy . . . the stadium is so colorful with lots of cheering.”

Kenya’s Chepkurui, a three- time winner of San Francisco’s Bay to Breakers race and fifth- place finisher at the 2010 world cross country championships, will run the 5K at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore., on Saturday.

Last year, the U.S. team finished third, barely beating Mexico and far behind Ethiopia and Kenya, with Metivier-Baillie the top American in ninth place. This year, ninth place went to Lewy-Boulet, the third runner for the U.S. women.

“We really wanted to run smart this year, versus concentrating on time,” Lewy-Boulet said. “We wanted to go by feel for the first mile and make it feel comfortable so we could have something in the middle when the course gets really tough. We came here to improve, and I think we accomplished that. This team is really special.”

This story has been corrected in this online archive. Originally, due to a reporting error, the number of times Lineth Chepkurui had won the San Francisco Bay to Breakers race was incorrect. She has won the race three times.

Digital Director of Audience Development for Digital First Media, the parent company of The Denver Post. He is a former senior editor, director of audience development, digital director of sports and social media editor at The Post.

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